Sam Lancaster is a lost man. Since returning from the war in Iraq, his life has been spiraling out of control. Attempting to escape his troubles, first he moves to a small town of Denton, Iowa, where he becomes the sheriff and beats up the local trouble.

When that ceases to work, he seeks peace at a Vermont hunting lodge, where he gets arrested for shooting fish rather than throwing them a line. After spending five months in a work camp to pay for his many crimes, he gets out only to discover Carrie is in danger—again. Convinced he’s the only one who can keep the little Pint Size safe, he rushes back to NYC.

During his absence, Mars has turned the Lancaster estate into a sanctuary for injured vets. Sam agrees to take a test that proves he has Swiss cheese memories that are inaccurate and dangerous. Even knowing this, his PTSD continues to worsen. While he’s deemed to be a poor candidate for a new method of self-correction, his many friends will try anything to save him.

When danger shows up at the Sanctuary, Mars gives him a mission to evaluate the potential threat from certain staff members. On top of his list is Sam’s new girlfriend. Figures!

Strange things that Sam says:from salty to sweet."So why’d you ask for the job if you weren’t planning to wear the
uniform?”"Total honesty is highly overrated & I’m pretty sure it will kill any relationship.""Don’t ever come between me and my attempt to save a war buddy.""Being angry all the time was hard work, & no one appreciated it in the
least.""The world needs more than the offspring of crazy people in it.""I hope she has vacation time. because otherwise, I'll kidnap her.""If you’re still wearing that teddy, breakfast gets tossed to the
wayside.”"Thank you for loving me, even when I was barely lovable."

EXCERPT

Sam dreamt of rescuing Carrie from the bullet ridden car. There were over forty assassins, some on the rooftop, others in windows, and over a dozen on the ground. With a single gun, he took them out. When he opened the door to secure Carrie, she ran past him and into the arms of Dan.

After she ended her ‘Near Death’ kiss with her husband, she turned to him and her eyes rounded in fear. Sam followed her gaze. Damn it! I’ve left one assassin alive. He raised his gun, aimed and click. Out of bullets.

With only one option remaining, he jumped in front of the slow moving bullet. Pain exploded in his chest.

Sam sat up, his heart pounding. As the pounding continued, he sought another source of the noise. Pissed that he’d just died for unrequited love, he stormed to the door and yanked it open. “What?” he snapped.

A tall, muscular young blonde grinned at him. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Her words made no sense. Was he still dreaming? He followed her gaze to his crotch. Shit. He’d gone to bed naked. He chucked her under the chin bringing her eyes back to his face. “Is there some reason you’ve woken me in the wee hours of the morning? I’m a guest, not a patient.”

She laughed. “I’m to take you to see Carlos.”

“Oh, sorry I yelled at you. Come in, I’ll be dressed in a second.”

He grabbed the pants lying on the floor and put them on.

“You prefer commando, eh?”

Sam glanced over at her. While she was a bit plain, he liked her smile…and her ability to appreciate a well-toned body. “Are you Carlos’s physical therapist, by chance?”

“Use to be, but he prefers Colin.” She grabbed his shirt from the floor and tossed it to him.

While in the process of buckling his belt, he still managed to snatch the shirt from the air and drop it to the bed.

“Quick reflexes,” she said with admiration. “How do you keep in such good shape?”

He shrugged. “Just normal stuff. Yank drunks out of their cars and cuff them. Kick the hell out of the local thugs. Carry grown men down two flights of stairs.” Curious to see if he’d terrified her, he glanced up. Nope. She still wore a gorgeous smile.

“So you’re a cop with martial arts training who takes care of his drunken buddies?”

He pulled on his shirt. “Not bad. I was a sheriff with martial arts training who helped my sick buddy to the car so I could get him to a hospital before he died.”

“Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think...NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars - Brian’s Mom – Amazon

Once again, Ms. O’Connor has written a brilliant book about the complexities of relationships, good and bad. Again, to me, the book is the best break up book EVER and it left my heart singing in the end. Best.Book.Ever…

Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.

Tuesday, April 28, 2015

While over 27,000 of you have already acquired this book, I checked and there are millions of readers, so we still have a lot of grumpy people out there in desperate need of a ridiculously crazy Romance Disaster. So why am I being so generous?Because everyone falls in love with Sam, and come May 5, his story will be revealed in book 5.So I thought it might be nice to return to the fellow when we first met him.ORI've discovered this series is highly addictive and if I get you addicted, you will happily continue reading them. And that's my goal in life. To make people happy.And for those of you who are caught up and anxiously waiting for Sam's story, here's a preview:

The Hardest Love

A Long Road to Love Series

By Liza O’Connor

BLURB

THE HARDEST LOVE IS TO LOVE YOURSELF.

Sam Lancaster is a lost man. Since returning from the war in Iraq, his life has been spiraling out of control. Attempting to escape his troubles, first he moves to a small town of Denton, Iowa, where he becomes the sheriff and beats up the local trouble.

When that ceases to work, he seeks peace at a Vermont hunting lodge, where he gets arrested for shooting fish rather than throwing them a line. After spending five months in a work camp to pay for his many crimes, he gets out only to discover Carrie is in danger—again. Convinced he’s the only one who can keep the little Pint Size safe, he rushes back to NYC.

During his absence, Mars has turned the Lancaster estate into a sanctuary for injured vets. Sam agrees to take a test that proves he has Swiss cheese memories that are inaccurate and dangerous. Even knowing this, his PTSD continues to worsen. While he’s deemed to be a poor candidate for a new method of self-correction, his many friends will try anything to save him.

When danger shows up at the Sanctuary, Mars gives him a mission to evaluate the potential threat from certain staff members. On top of his list is Sam’s new girlfriend. Figures!

EXCERPT

Sam dreamt of rescuing Carrie from the bullet ridden car. There were over forty assassins, some on the rooftop, others in windows, and over a dozen on the ground. With a single gun, he took them out. When he opened the door to secure Carrie, she ran past him and into the arms of Dan.

After she ended her ‘Near Death’ kiss with her husband, she turned to him and her eyes rounded in fear. Sam followed her gaze. Damn it! I’ve left one assassin alive. He raised his gun, aimed and click. Out of bullets.

With only one option remaining, he jumped in front of the slow moving bullet. Pain exploded in his chest.

Sam sat up, his heart pounding. As the pounding continued, he sought another source of the noise. Pissed that he’d just died for unrequited love, he stormed to the door and yanked it open. “What?” he snapped.

A tall, muscular young blonde grinned at him. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”

Her words made no sense. Was he still dreaming? He followed her gaze to his crotch. Shit. He’d gone to bed naked. He chucked her under the chin bringing her eyes back to his face. “Is there some reason you’ve woken me in the wee hours of the morning? I’m a guest, not a patient.”

She laughed. “I’m to take you to see Carlos.”

“Oh, sorry I yelled at you. Come in, I’ll be dressed in a second.”

He grabbed the pants lying on the floor and put them on.

“You prefer commando, eh?”

Sam glanced over at her. While she was a bit plain, he liked her smile…and her ability to appreciate a well-toned body. “Are you Carlos’s physical therapist, by chance?”

“Use to be, but he prefers Colin.” She grabbed his shirt from the floor and tossed it to him.

While in the process of buckling his belt, he still managed to snatch the shirt from the air and drop it to the bed.

“Quick reflexes,” she said with admiration. “How do you keep in such good shape?”

He shrugged. “Just normal stuff. Yank drunks out of their cars and cuff them. Kick the hell out of the local thugs. Carry grown men down two flights of stairs.” Curious to see if he’d terrified her, he glanced up. Nope. She still wore a gorgeous smile.

“So you’re a cop with martial arts training who takes care of his drunken buddies?”

He pulled on his shirt. “Not bad. I was a sheriff with martial arts training who helped my sick buddy to the car so I could get him to a hospital before he died.”

“Be warned though, this book is completely different from The Worst Week Ever. Yes, there is still humor, dry wit, situations that you would think...NOT AGAIN but this one humanizes Trent more.” 5 stars - Brian’s Mom – Amazon

Once again, Ms. O’Connor has written a brilliant book about the complexities of relationships, good and bad. Again, to me, the book is the best break up book EVER and it left my heart singing in the end. Best.Book.Ever…

Liza lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels. She loves to create interesting characters, set them loose, and scribe what happens.

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Today, I have found a talented and delightful author, J.M. Maurer to share with you. Let me ask her a few questions and you'll see why I like her. She has my sense of humor.

1) If money were not an object, where would you most like to live?

J.M.: Belgium; where I could over-indulge on the best chocolate—forever!

2) Tell us something crazy you’ve done and why you did it.

J.M.:I juggled 3 tennis balls during an 8th grade health class, the 35 minutes of burning in my arms making me second-guess whether it was worth the 5 extra credit points that I needed to go from a B+ to an A. J

3) What is the one question you wish an interviewer would ask you?

J.M.:If you were receiving a major literary award and you were about to go onstage with Chris Hemsworth but noticed his fly was down, would you let them know and how would you do it?

Darn! I wish I had asked that! Well let's check our her debut novel and her recently released second novel.

Seeking Love

(Emerging From Darkness Book 1)

By J.M. Maurer

Publish Date: April 2, 2015

Contemporary Romance, Humor, Woman’s Fiction

Every day, Jessica Winters does what she does best—bury herself in patient care within the walls of the neuro intensive care unit, keeping herself busy to escape the dark sadness that controls her life. But the day she sees Matthew Moi, the intriguing man seated at her new patient’s bedside, her shattered heart begins to frantically beat once again.

As Matthew pins his mesmerizing gaze upon her, trying to distract her with his humorous and playful banter, she does her best to ignore him. Somehow he already knows a great deal about her, breaking down Jessica’s barriers and awakening her soul, drawing her out of the darkness and into his arms.

When her painful past resurfaces, revealing truths that threaten her future, Jessica struggles through her issues and fights to stay on a healing path . . . seeking love.

One thing I knew: I wasn’t that woman anymore. I wouldn’t be her anymore.

My heart was racing at the thought of being separated from Matthew by only the door, and I watched as it opened, knowing he stood mere feet away. I drew in a deep breath to calm my frantic nerves and steady my racing heart. It was the moment my eyes would see him again, and the same moment I knew all involuntary muscle movements would cease.

As Matthew stepped in and around the door, his alluring eyes captured me. The feeling was nothing new. I’d been imprisoned by his gaze before. And locked in it again, I watched as he drifted to me, the indisputable chemistry between us palpable and absolute. His mesmerizing eyes had hypnotized my burning soul, completely bewitching me.

“Hello, Jessica,” he murmured, pointing to an open area of the bed. “Mind if I sit?”

I gave a slight shake of my head, having difficulty forming the simple word “no,” and watched as he made himself comfortable facing me. His crisp charcoal-colored trousers bunched as he scooted on the bed. My sight roamed along his classic plum-colored dress shirt and stopped searching once I focused on his face.

Seeking Redemption

(Emerging From Darkness Book 2)

By J.M. Maurer

Publish Date: May 2, 2015

After surviving a bitter divorce and emerging from a darkness that became all too familiar, Jessica finds herself on top of the world, her soulful awakening allowing her to feel again, trust again, and even love again. Her painful past, however, is relentless, both physically and emotionally, bombarding her daily and not allowing her to overcome the lingering demons that ultimately control her life.

As Matthew lovingly guides her toward a healthy future, his own secrets become known, threatening to destroy the trusting relationship that had quickly grown between them. But despite what life throws her way, Jessica pledges to put the past in the past, accepting that events are often out of her control. She fights for a future with the man who drew her out of the darkness, steering her onto a healing path . . . seeking redemption.

Grandma O flipped the light switch to what she called my office and stood just inside the door, her soft features and gentle smile inviting me in. I shivered, poised one step away, with a strange yet familiar emotion rushing through me—an awareness that the instant I entered, my life would be forever changed. Again.

Was this Matthew’s plan all along? They all seemed in on it, the thought making me feel railroaded and agitated, yet oddly aroused and enchanted too. Unsure how to deal with such conflicting emotions, I moved forward, looking to Grandma O for answers as I walked through.

The office was spacious, slightly smaller than Matthew’s, with a mahogany desk in the far corner and in front of an expansive bank of floor-to-ceiling windows. I ran my fingertips along the colorful wall of psychology books and periodicals as I walked along, passing a leather couch on my way to the desk, my desk, and paused in front of an empty nook within the bookcase.

It struck me as odd, the cold wooden surface needing something to spruce it up, make it mine. I had to think about that, my anxiety making it difficult to ponder the issue, my restlessness preventing me from staying in one place.

I moved to the windows and stared out the tiny cracks between the blinds, the world outside just as complicated as the one I had chosen to live in.

I turned and looked at her, questioning how they’d gotten their hands on a copy.

Sedation in the ICU: Patient Accounts of Their Dreams, Their Pain, Their Fears; I hadn’t published it. As it was, after countless hours revisiting old charts and conducting hundreds of interviews, I’d never been more nervous or scared the instant it was pulled from my tight grip to be placed into the hands of someone who would actually read it. There was no way I’d ever publish it, opening myself up to a world filled with critics.

“If you’re wondering, Dr. Moi is a personal friend of Professor Marienetti. The sexual fantasies accounted for and described within your research were fascinating, probably more so than Dr. Marienetti could digest. We’re baffled as to why you chose not to publish. The results, Jess, are far reaching, from ICUs to dentists’ offices. You have a special gift; embrace it.”

She walked toward me and leaned her back against the wall, her gaze drinking in the room.

“This office has been vacant, just waiting for you. You could do great things here.” She patted my arm, her grandmotherly smile telling me it would all be okay. “I’m next door if you need anything.”

Embrace it, I thought, watching as she walked out the door. I’d heard that advice before—from Matthew. I sighed and looked down upon the desk, the one I knew would take me a while to start calling my own.

My desk, my office, my couch, it all sounded quite foreign. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

JM Maurer lives with her family in Chicago. She makes it a point to never work on a full moon and cringes when a coworker uses the “Q” word—never, ever say, “It’s a quiet day today," at her day job.

Known for being overly superstitious, she can usually be found scraping at the remnants of a Nutella container, screaming at a hockey game, or putting pen to paper, allowing the “real” crazy voices in her head to come alive. And after all this, it’s no wonder she’s an incurable romantic and loves escaping the rat race of life to immerse herself inside the world of a really good romance book . . . because, after all, what’s better than a happily-ever-after?

Okay, I have a lot of books already written because I spent ten years doing nothing but writing and sharing my work with other critters to improve the stories. No publishing, no wasting time submitting to publishers, and no getting depressed by rejections or no response at all.All I did was write each and every day for most of the day. I could write a rough draft of a novel in a month, then spend months working on it with the help of my critters.

Best ten years of my life!But two and half years ago I began to publish, and I'll be honest, the first year was hard and difficult, but some very fine authors got me through the early disappointments and since I've gone indie and have complete control of my books, the marketing, the pricing, the promotions, the editing, and the timing of releases, I've been much happier.For me, self-control was the key.

Right now, I have eleven books published.

This year I've published two books thus far:Untamed and Unabashed (Historical spinoff from Pride & Prejdudice-Lydia's story)and

Well Kept Secrets, book 4 of the Adventures of Xavier & Vic Late Victorian sleuth series.

However, my upcoming plans for the rest of the year might actually kill me from a brain seizure or death from exhaustion.Here's my plan:To celebrate what may be the last book of the series A Long Road to Love, I'm offering book 1, WORST WEEK EVER, which in my opinion is the funniest book I've ever written, for 99 cents between April 28-May4. Over 27,000 of you already possess the book, so I've no idea if there is anyone left in my piece of the internet that hasn't bought it. But if you exist, you should check it out. If you have a sense of humor like mine, you will laugh the whole way through. If you don't have my sense of humor, you will be grumpy. Frankly, I'm shocked at how many people seem have my sense of humor. I worry about them.Now some of you may be wondering: Is this REALLY the last book of the series?I understand your doubt. Overtime, I've declared Book 3, then Book 4, and now Book 5 to be the LAST BOOK of the series. But my fans keep demanding more books, and evidently I can't say no.

Book 5, The Hardest Love, which is Sam's story, is releasing May 5th.

The series is a humorous Contemporary Disaster Romance which eventually ends with an HEA for each of the main characters.In June I had hoped to publish another Xavier & Vic novel, (Late Victorian Sleuth Series) but I got back edits on four books in one week and I'm not sure I can get Book 5 ready in time for a June release, so expect it to pop up when it can, but it will be this year.In July, I am bringing out the first of Sci Fi books, The Multiverse Series. Book 1, The Gods of Probabilities will come out in early July.

Then the remaining three will follow each month.August, September and October.Then I'll re-release Saving Casey, humorous, then traumatic, contemporary romance which I got back from my first publisher. However, I'm going to make it the first of a new series.And somewhere along the way, you'll get book 5 of the Historical Sleuth Series.Now let's discuss the problems with my plan.My Main Concern: I am confusing and splitting my audience by publishing in three widely different genres. I did consider creating two other author names and keep them separate, but then I would have to create accounts for Twitter and Facebook and I can barely handle matters, so all my readers will hear the announcements about my various books. Just pick and choose what you prefer to know about.I will always let you know when a new book arrives or when I have a price special if you subscribe to my newsletter.As to my blogs, I've had a sci-fi blog for years, so my sci books will be displayed on pages there while my contemps and historical will remain on my main blog.I've some readers who happily cross genres to read me, while others remain in their preferred space and wait for my next appropriate book. And they will get it. I won't abandon any of my readers. You will continue to get your preferred genres. Which is why I'm nearly killing myself to publish so many books this year. EIGHT if I can still count correctly.

Next year I'll start a new contemporary romance series. Continue the Xavier & Vic Sleuth series, and bring forth another sci-fi series that I dearly love, so none of my readers will be abandoned, at least not until I keel over from exhaustion. In return, since this schedule leaves me very little time to market and promote my books, if you enjoy the book you read, please tell your friends so they can enjoy it as well. Word of mouth is a powerful marketing tool and would make a big difference in my life of self-induced poverty.